Last Thursday night’s football battle with TSU was riveting in its own right, but the battle didn’t stop at halftime; the UTM and TSU marching bands graced the field with a true tour de force.

TSU’s marching band, with its 192 members directed by Edward Graves, came out with heavy brass and challenging field formations. Dynamics proved important for TSU’s marching band as it varied its halftime selections between loud brassy songs and smooth, soulful jives in tribute to Ray Charles. TSU livened up the crowd at Hardy M. Graham Stadium with a band arrangement of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” and the band’s large, energetic dance line roused spectators to their feet. During the percussion solo, wind players put down their instruments to dance.

The UTM Skyhawk marching band, under the direction of Brian Amaral, took the field next to present their fast-paced halftime show. The Skyhawk show, titled “The Random Show,” featured music featuring “Children of Sanchez,” “Lock You Up,” and “Echano.” The show also featured a musical break with a hard-hitting percussion solo.

Several UTM students enjoyed the 20-minute musical extravaganza.

Kesha Gray, a freshman Biology major from West Point, Tenn., said, “TSU was like awesome. Thy make you want to dance with them, but UTM was still.”

“The UTM band was OK, but the TSU band did great,” said freshman Natural Resource Management major Clay Larson of Clarksville. “(TSU is) on a different level than our band. Our band was good, but they need a little movement to them. UTM was better than I thought they would be.”

“I loved the beat; they got rhythm,” Beau Walker said. Walker is a junior Sports Management major from Sharon.

The Skyhawk marching band will perform at the remaining home games, parades and exhibitions.